


Reality Check

by IsisKitsune



Series: Twilight is for Sookers [94]
Category: Morbius: The Living Vampire, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon Divergence - Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Infinity Gems, M/M, Nightmares, Panic, Panic Attacks, Reality Bending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-04-07 05:01:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19077994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IsisKitsune/pseuds/IsisKitsune
Summary: Morbie wakes up from a nightmare, he just- he can't remember what of he just knows Peter is there- he's here and safe-Tony gets alerted by Jarvis about a sonic explosion and the Penthouse and freaks tf out because his boys are there. What happened?!Strange finds out what caused it and is working on helping... at least on the small scale. The large scale is still an unknown





	Reality Check

Michael kept shaking his head, shaking and hugging himself, rocking on the bed as he saw Peter and Jarvis rushing at him. He didn't know what happened, he didn't understand what caused it, but all he knew is, “Had- Had a bad dream.”

“Michael, get your inducer on it's not safe here right now,” he couldn't stop himself from latching onto Peter when he tried to get his belt on, to keep him away from the rising sun.

Jarvis tilted his head toward him, “Sir, what happened in this dream?”

“I don't- I don't know, I just, I woke up- I woke up screaming. Felt like, just felt so much rage-”

“Sir, you- you have blood on your lips. Peter, are you injured?”

Peter finally got him to turn the belt on, “It's okay, we're okay, Jarvis... um we're going to need to um, replace the windows...”

“It's a little bigger than that.” Michael blinked, tears in his eyes as Jarvis got him to open up, “Sir, you- you appeared to have ruptured a vessel in your throat.”

“Explains why it hurts. I taste blood when I talk.”

“We- oh dear we're are going to need to- ah, Sir, perfect timing.”

“What the hell is going on?” Tony looked around before jumping out of the suit, “Jarvis, what happened?”

“It appears Michael had a nightmare, he woke up screaming. He ruptured a vessel in his throat screaming loud enough to blow every window in 3 floors Sir, now if you excuse us we need to get him to the hospital before he aspirates blood.”

Michael clung to Peter, “Not, not leaving him.” Michael just held on and rocked, at least until he started coughing.

“Alright, Tower, now, everyone... Parker, can you get him in?”

“I'll I'll figure it out,” Peter grumbled as he grabbed a towel, “I don't care how we do this but we need to get to the Tower.”

Michael clung and nodded, “Not, not leaving you.”

“Don't worry about all this... we'll get it fixed- Jarvis, want a lift?”

“Please, Sir, might I suggest an upgrade?”

“Oh fuck yeah we're doing a lot of upgrades after this. Kid, what happened exactly?”

Michael just stared at him with wide eyes, holding Peter close and shaking his head, “Just, bad dream.”

“We're talking about this when we get to the Tower.”

Michael nodded, Peter physically having to lead him toward the Tower. “Come on, it's okay, I'm right here. We're safe-”

Tony was on the landing pad by the time they made it there, “What exactly happened?”

“I told you, I had a bad dream! I just... I don't even-” he ended up leaning against Peter, “ I don't know. I guess the dream ended before I woke up and I just- I was just so mad, I woke up so mad and just screaming...”

“Sir, Dr. Strange is on his way, rather pissed at being awoken so early I might add.”

“Tell him I've got coffee...”

“He's still rather pissed, but he does say it better be damn good coffee.”

“Can- can I have a drink of water?” Michael finally asked, coughing at the rawness in his throat finally getting to him.

Jarvis was already handing him a bottle, “Drink slowly, sir.”

'vessel healed, throat hurts', he signed as he took a drink. 'thank you'

“You're welcome, sir. I- I hope we discover what caused that nightmare. We can't have it be recurring, I fear we may be forced out of the Penthouse if it is, public safety hazard.”

Michael kept close to Peter, rocking when he got too far, making Jarvis and Peter reach out to hug him while they waited. Tony paced, “Strange better get here quick...”

Michael started having a panic attack, “What's wrong,” Peter hugged him, wrapping his arms. “Breathe, breathe and focus,” Michael just shook, eyes staring, “What is it? What's the trigger?”

Michael's eyes were telling him wrong things, he finally had to shut them, clicking softly, trying to clear his vision. “Glitch- glitch in the matrix.” He glanced down at his hands, wincing as he eyes told him soft red glow in his right palm while his ears said nothing wrong, normal- all normal. “My eyes, my eyes are lying to me.”

“What- what is it telling you?”

“Tony, Tony is at the bar... He's so... alone...”

“Sir, Dr. Strange has arrived.”

“Get him up here,” Tony knelt down, reaching to take Michael's hand, making him jerk, “I'm right here with you. I'm not alone, we're not alone.”

“Why is this happening? What is happening?”

“I- I don't know, but we'll figure it out.”

“This better be important,” Strange came in grumpy and tired. “What happened?”

“Something's wrong with Michael's eyes. They're 'lying' to him. He's seeing things.”

“Alright, like what?”

Michael laughed, “My hand's glowing... like, like when you put it over a flashlight.”

“Fine let's take a look,” Strange stepped forward, automatically bringing up his hands to cast a spell to check him.

Michael's eyes widened as he watched it. “Wow... So- so many dimensions,” Strange stopped his movements as he blinked before he dropped his hands when Michael touched the spell, letting it flow and string through more than just this reality. “It's, it's connected to so many things. How, how do you do that?”

Strange's eyes widened at him, “You can see- you can see where I'm drawing from?”

Michael stumbled back, covering his eyes at the sudden image of being surrounded by people, obviously angry and shouting but he couldn't hear what about. “When did Steve grow a beard?”

“Michael, I- I need to concentrate for a bit, I- I need you to not interrupt the spell again, no matter how... how it may look.”

“Parker, did you slip me something in my sleep?”

“No, I did not...”

“It's not drugs, trust me, I've been through a similar experience.”

“Then what the fuck is it-” Michael's eyes widened as he looked off, “Peter.”

“I'm right here Morbie,” he had arms around him, helping to calm his worry. “What- what are your eyes telling you?”

“Just, seeing double. Stay with me, please?”

“I'm right here,” Peter said as he held him close.

Strange called up the spell again, Michael instantly settled on the pattern, Peter had to hold him closer, “No touching,” Strange said as he completed the spell.

“Just- so many- fuck, this needs to stop.”

“Morbie, stop using your eyes if they're messing you up.”

“Fuck, this is high school all over again.”

“As long as it keeps from driving you up the wall, it'll work for now.”

Michael blinked at Strange, “Why the look?”

Peter blinked in confusion at Strange's poker face, “What look?”

“His- his jaw dropped...”

Strange ended the spell so suddenly it shattered. “I am extremely confused by-” Michael blinked as he looked at Strange grabbing his hand while the other waved a hand, “You're holding a stone.”

“You just grabbed my hand...”

“It wasn't me- not in this reality.”

Michael, jerked away closing his eyes, “Fuck what-”

“What did you see?”

“You... so many... so many, like just-”

“It appears the greatest source of effect it has on you, is your eyes.”

“I'm a fucking ER doctor I need my goddamn eyes! Why me? Why now?!”

“I- honestly I don't know. This, this never showed up on any of the other scans I've done of you. It would explain a lot though. The fact that you should have been dead at such a young age, it could have been one instance of it occurring... What other improbabilities have occurred?”

“Got pulled into an alternate reality,” Peter grumbled as he held tight, “Um, able to find a balance with your condition, even though it was otherwise impossible if the evidence we found from the other universe is anything to go by. Um, what else?”

Michael sighed, “Why didn't he know it was there though? This whole time?”

“It's- the reality stone is- it could have shown itself at any time or laid dormant until a time of sheer desperation. What caused it this time?”

Michael shrugged, “I- I had a bad dream, that was all, just- a bad dream.”

“Can you remember anything of it?”

Michael shook his head, “Screaming, screaming so loud, like... like I wanted to kill, like I wanted to just- overload their brain until it finally seized or just the vessels burst from the intensity of it.”

“Is there anything else you remember?”

Michael shook his head, “Just- rage- so much rage. I- I've never felt anything like it. Never. Like, like my soul was just ripped out and there was nothing left but-”

“Like the bloodthirst haze?”

Michael shook his head, “No, I knew exactly what I was doing, I knew exactly what caused that feeling and I just wanted it dead, or I would die trying to kill it.”

“Is there anything else you remember?”

Michael finally looked up, shaking his head. “No, just, that entire moment and- I woke up.” Strange was pacing, Michael had to blink, no he was staying still, “You have a better poker face than your counter part...”

Strange blinked, “I do?”

“Yeah, he's pacing and looking confused as hell, which, yeah we should order jackets.”

“Any clue what his idea is?”

“I don't hear them, I just see them.”

“Damn, that would make this easier.”

“Can you, like, give me a clue on how to make it go dormant again or get rid of it?”

“You- you can't 'get rid of it', but we might be able to help you control it.”

“Why the hell not? I see the fucking thing glowing in my hand, that's what that is isn't it?”

“Because- it takes the death of the holder to extract it.”

Michael blinked, “Shit, well, are we talking flat line or true 'ain't coming back' dead?”

“We are not killing you.”

Michael growled, “This- this is going to fucking drive me insane. Do you know- do you have any idea how many-” he whimpered, “Peter?”

“Right here Morbie,” he settled only once he felt the arms around him, “Just breathe.”

He jumped when Jarvis spoke, “Sir, a message came in from... she says 'Madame Butterfly' in the message.”

Michael laughed, “Is this how she feels every day?”

“The message says, 'Focus on the moment you know you're in, it helps filter out the possibles', sir you're smiling do you know who this is?”

“Our Madame Butterfly, she- she's a sort of psychic at work. It's- it's actually a little like this. Shit, I- I can't deal with this and still work. I can't, I can't even tell which of you is the real you without you talking or touching me!”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Michael's head snapped, he had been staring at Tony, haven't he? No, he was behind him. “Doc, can you figure this out? Do something to help?”

“I- if he's awoken it subconsciously, I might be able to help him get it back to a dormant state.”

“Please,” Michael begged before realizing Strange had moved, “This- seriously, this needs to stop...”

“You- you need to let me into your head to try to help, maybe I can figure out what triggered it and if it's just- stuck unlike the other times it apparently triggered. If- if it has been part of it the whole time.”

Michael winced, “I- before- the last time a telepath tried to get into my head it- it triggered my Spider sense... But, I'm willing to try, just- please, if you see or sense anything in there that's just, hungry, please leave it alone and don't wake it up.” Michael sighed and started calming, it wasn't the cold creeping he experienced before, more like a reassuring touch across his skull.

“ _This may be a little more complicated. Open your eyes, Michael.”_

Michael opened his eyes, wincing and trying to keep himself from trying to track all the movement.

“ _Oh dear, I can see why it's driving you mad.”_

“Please just make it stop.”

“ _Ah, there is the trigger... Michael, I can summon this memory but I'm unsure if it will help or make your mental state worse.”_

“If it stops this, I don't care.”

“ _I- I was wrong, I can't trigger it. It- it will make it worse. It wasn't a dream, Michael, it was your- your memory. It's not from this dimension though, it was from another, that's why- that's why it triggered the stone. Your other self came in contact with the stone.”_

“Just please, make this stop.”

Michael whined when the warmth faded, “I'm sorry, I- I honestly don't have a clue how to help you here.”

“Why was it triggered though? In this way? I've Never had anything like this and why didn't it just trigger and then go dormant like all the other probably times it's activated?” Michael flopped down at the looks he was getting, “You... you have the best poker face outa all of them... God, they gotta work on that.”

Strange gave a forced laugh, “I am, so sorry.”

Michael blinked, “I swear to god if that's some phantom Tony offering me a drink, I'mma be pissed.”

“It's real kid, you look like you need it.”

“How long is this going to last? I- I have to work! I can't work like this! Half of diagnosing is visual!”

“Stark, make it a double...”

“Ugh, your ghost... really looks scared... what aren't you telling me Strange?”

He glared at the tapping and worried look even while the 'real' Strange stayed still, “I don't know what he knows, different reality remember?”

“Then why is your heart pounding so hard? You forget, doc, I've got very good hearing.”

“The memory, I can't trigger it for you, but I could view it. You were able to damage the gauntlet. You retched one of the stones loose when you attacked it. That moment you woke up and broke the connection? The stone didn't drop back into dormancy as it should have but stayed active.”

“Okay so what will shut it the fuck down again?”

“That's where I'm not sure.”

Michael glared at the ceiling, blinked and tilting his head, “Who's the black suit spidey?”

“Huh?”

“He- he's young... like you back in high school young, Peter.”

“Trying to cradle rob your own husband?”

“If you could see him, you'd be worried. Something's off about him.”

“Hey, right here,” Michael snapped out of the staring as he blinked at his glaring husband, leaning up to kiss his nose, “Hey, seriously...”

“Deal with it,” Michael grumbled, “Fuck, I'mma have to call work... I- I can't work like this. There's no way they'll let me on the floor with my eyes acting like this.” Michael waved his empty glass, “Top me off? I can't even throw myself into work or school like I usually do for weird shit like this...” Michael winced and jerked away, sloshing the drink and leaving Tony cursing, “Sorry, sorry, some- some kinda attack.” He flinched when hands covered his eyes, “Sorry, I just, automatic response.”

“Breathe, and remember your eyes are fucked, remember? Like when you first developed your echolocation? Just, breathe and focus and trust what your ears are telling you.”

“Right, right,” Michael started chattering turning away from the incoming attack flooding his vision, “Gonna, gonna have to- pull away from just my vision.”

“Where am I right now?”

Michael rolled his eyes, “Seriously, Parker, hide and seek now?”

“Just shut up and point me out, and no closing your eyes.”

“Worst game of 'where's waldo'...”

Parker chuckled, shifting around on the ceiling, until Michael glared at him, “Hey, ya found me.”

“Yeah, it's, you're right, I just, gotta have my ears back up what my eyes are telling me.”

“See? We got this!”

Michael smiled and held out his arms, blinking when the Spider-man that jumped toward him had only 2 arms and suddenly vanished in a chirp before his Peter dropped down and rushed to hug him. “Yeah, we, we got this.” Michael groaned as he downed another drink, “We still have to fix the building and I have to inform work of the- eye problems. I can't risk patient's health...”

“Yeah, okay we- we got this.”

“I got the Penthouse,” Tony called, “Sleep here for the night. You work in today, don't you? Just- fuck, just- explain what you can. A new mutation or something.”

-

Michael was so glad Claire had been on shift. “Just, if you see me zoning out pull me back, my vision is royally fucked?”

Claire had looked at him for so long, “Define fucked.”

Michael shrugged, “It's- really complicated. They're putting a resident with me, someone late in school. My eyes are still working it's just- there are times everything is just 'too much'.”

“Is this about that explosion that went off this morning? I thought the address looked familiar. God, just... speak the fuck up, okay kid?”

Michael nodded, “Yeah- hopefully this is only temporary. If, if you see me with a cane, it got to be too much and I just needed a minute away from seeing.”

Michael spent most to the day tapping his cane at his side, using the sound to help him figure out what was reality and what wasn't. Someone must have been looking out for him because the only 'bad' things to happen that day was correcting the resident twice, but they were both on major problems but they weren't life threatening, “You have to remember that everyone has a different pain threshold. It's why we ask scale of 1 to 10, it helps us weed out how sever the problem is for them. Most people will give you a number below 10, mainly because they think it can always get worse.”

“Doctor, that was clear drug seeking behavior, how did you know it wasn't faked?”

“Well, two things, they were uninsured and still coming into the ER over pain, and still waited for over 2 hours in obvious pain when the desk had already written them off as drug seeking... that and this,” Michael reached out to give his arm a hard pinch. “If you think they're faking, most of the time if you give them an actually pain, it will surprised the hell outa them and piss them off, if someone is in 'obvious' pain and you think drugs seeking give them a firm pinch, most of the time they'll react, sometimes those with lower pain tolerance will twitch or jerk away but they won't uncurl from the pain site and they definitely won't throw a shit fit at you for hurting them. Best test sites are joints. Higher nerve endings and less muscle and fat to get in the way so it's a jolt. That and I heard the stones in her kidney a mile away. She wanted the problem to get fixed, just wanted it to stop, she didn't instantly cry for drugs. But you should still have gotten a CT, even if it was just a threat to hopefully make them think twice about the money they'd have wasted on something just to get a couple days worth of painkillers.”

“This is why I just want to do general practice work... I'm, I just wanted to do some ER hours so I know about the situations in case of emergency problems in the office.”

“It is still good to know, but at least for now you have to remember, we are dealing with the shit people think 'it's fine, I can wait' in the case of walk ins. Most of the time when they get here it's beyond waiting, and then sometimes they're just assholes.”

“Doctor,” was called, making Michael tap his cane, “A hand please?”

“Coming,” unruly patient, “Well, off you go,” Michael smiled as he followed. He smiled and let the resident flounder a bit, “It's not life threatening, I'm going to let you handle it, talk him down.”

“It's alright, sir, you're in the ER, you had an accident, it's okay, calm down. The nurses are trying to get you patched up.”

Slight head injury, poor guy was probably in that finally moment of the accident when he woke up somewhere unknown and with strangers, Michael smiled when he calmed quickly at the white coat. “An accident,” was finally asked, Michael smiled and patted the younger man's shoulder as he checked the chart and explained the situation. “Was, was anyone else hurt?”

“The police said it was a hit and run, you were the only one in the car.”

“Hope they got 'em... How bad is it?”

“I'd say you were concussed, we still need to get you looked over, you had a few bad cuts before we could get your head checked over. Let them work and we'll make sure everything else is okay.”

“Michael, incoming 4 car wreck,” Claire's voice drifted to him.

“I- I got the ones coming in, kid, just- stay back unless I put you on any of them.”

“Oh okay.”

Michael rushed over, folding up his cane, “Claire, surgery now, internal bleeding,” he shoved one stretcher to the side the moment in entered, “Patch what you can on the way.”

“Got it, you come, now,” she grabbed someone close by and rushed.

“Fuck,” Michael growled at the next one, “Crushed rib cage. Ventilator now, get another surgeon.” Fuck this one wasn't going to make it, too much blood, punctured lung. All he could do was let it drain out or they'd suffocate. “I, I have to do some- really sketchy work here. The only chance they have is to repair the lung and fix the rib cage. I have to, I have to let it drain until they can get the lung repaired.”

“Doctor,” he blinked his eyes open at the young resident, nope he was not dealing with that right now.

“Madame Butterfly, take the kid, help the other two.”

The young CNA blinked at him and then the stretcher before nodding, “Come on, doctor, we can help these two. Let, let him deal with the other ones.”

Michael made the call, getting the critical patient on their side once they got them intubated and grabbed the scalpel and some tubing to allow the chest to drain. “I- I really hope you got someone looking out for you, you will need it. Get them in surgery now! Punctured lung, multiple ribs broken off. Get the blood going now, and they might survive this.” He watched the team rushing off, sighing in some relief when the patient finally took a full gasping breath when the drain allowed them room to.

Michael snapped off his gloves and scrubbed down, wanting the smell off him before he grabbed his cane and went back to the resident chatting with Madame Butterfly, “Thanks.”

She smiled, “One lives, the other... the other depends who answered the call first.”

Michael blinked, rubbing his eyes before he grabbed a new set of gloves and went to help. Concussion for one, sever, bleeding beginning but luckily manageable and soon it stopped and started recovering enough she opened her eyes. Retrograde amnesia, great. That- that is not his biggest worry today. The other was just black out drunk, it was probably what saved his life when his body got slammed around in the wreck. Cuts, bruises, annoying as hell when dealing with alcohol thinned blood but not a problem. Madame Butterfly was patting his shoulder, “What?”

She bounced and nodded as she pointed to Claire, she was smiling and holding up two fingers, Michael gave a relieved sigh, they both made it through surgery. Now they just had to wait for them to recover.

“You doing better,” he was finally asked, as he snapped off his gloves and focused on the woman standing in front of him. “It is easier if you concentrate on the here and now.”

Michael chuckled, “Yeah, yeah it seems to, but- now that the adrenaline rush is over it's... getting a little, crowded.”

He winced his eyes shut at the odd double image as she shifted in front of him before she patted his arm, “Just, please, doctor, don't do anything stupid.” Michael blinked as he saw her exposed wrist, blinking as she walked away before the 'ghost' version nodded again, cut lines were hidden when the hand was dropped as the phantom followed.

“You- you've thought about it.”

She took a deep breath and nodded, “I've- seen so many outcomes of thinking about it. I know how each one would go. Helping others helps me. It's why I got into medicine. Just- I know- I know the outcomes, remember? Every thought changes them. Just, don't think about it, please.”

“Would it make you feel better if I said I never have until you brought it up?”

She laughed, “You have, doctor, even if it was a fleeting desperate moment of 'make it stop'. That's how my little curse works.”

Michael was just tapping his cane, settling back into 'here/now' when his eyes settled on a small girl, she walked in, holding her arm, blood spilling down her side, “Is she real?”

Claire blinked, “What?”

“The little girl, is she real?” She was so small, no one seemed to realize she was there, or was she just one of the horrific 'ghosts' from an alternate reality that he just focused on.

“What little girl? Bed 3?”

Michael sighed in relief when someone scooped up the girl, visibly yelling but he didn't hear a word said as the small ghost was swarmed by others. “No- it's, she wasn't here.”

“Are you sure you're good?”

“I- I just saw a it's like a ghost, it's just- seems so real to me unless I try to listen for them.”

“Come on, lunch time,” Claire drug him off.

“I'm teaching I can't just...”

“He's on lunch too, come on your relief just walked in. We are taking a break.” Claire plopped his ass down in his chair in his office and shut the door, “What the fuck is going on?”

Michael sighed, “Do you know about the multiverse?”

Claire sat back, “Isn't that like dimensional theory or something?”

Michael laughed and nodded, “Yeah, well, I'm looking into it. My eyes have been... fucked over hard and now I'm seeing so many different realities, they all just pile in on each other. That's why I asked if the little girl was real.”

“Wait, what are you seeing here? Now?”

Michael glanced around and shrugged, “Just us. It's... my other realities are only night shift from what I know of them.”

“It's just your eyes, isn't it? That's why you've been keeping your cane on you.”

“Yep, but it's enough to fuck me over... it's why they put the resident with me for the shift. We- we seriously hope it's quick to be fixed.”

“What happens if it isn't?”

Michael blinked up, his door had opened, “It's already after dark?”

“Huh? Yeah, it's getting late, why?”

Michael shrugged off the tension, “I just walked in for the night shift.”

Claire blinked as she looked to where his eyes were following, “Huh... that's... you've been dealing with that all day?”

“It's why they put another set of eyes with me, in case mine fail. They're trying what they can to keep me on shift... I'm seriously worried about causing harm to patients like this. I- I won't be able to stay if this keeps up.”

“Has, has your focuses been working?”

Michael frowned, “You're the only focus I have here. You are the only person I know of that's real. I- I haven't seen you anywhere else here yet.”

“Well, I guess you have an absolute, I can- I can check around, make sure I'm on shift with you, at least until we figure out how to get this fixed.”

Michael rubbed his eyes, “Okay, fuck, how many hours do I have left?”

“Halfway there,” Claire shrugged, “So, game plan?”

“Just- try not to kill anyone?”

“That, we can work with that.”

“It's nice getting away from the crowd,” Michael admitted as he finally relaxed, “I-I'm kinda happy you're an absolute here. It's- you're the first absolute I've found so far. Everyone else, there's so many of them...”

“Kid, if your eyes are bothering you, don't use them until you have to. You are able to walk down a row of beds and tell us exactly what's wrong without them.”

“It's, seeing is part of diagnosis, I can't work without my eyes.”

Claire shrugged, “Just for visual signs, you can smell bruising for god's sake... And hear damage inside people. Just, minimize the use of your eyes?”

“That's what I've been trying to do,” Michael grumbled, “It's, not going well, I still- it's been so many years since my eyes have bothered me, I'm past that point of automatically acting on my ears.”

“Well, kid, time to get back in the saddle,” Michael glared when she checked her phone, “We've got a full house heading in.”

“Gang, fire, pile up?”

“Shootout, lot of gsw patients, come on. There's no way your resident is dealing with this alone.”

Michael groaned, “I'm up,” he grabbed his cane and closed his eyes against the bodies wondering the hallway, tapping his way back.

“So far 4 unresponsive,” Claire called as she rushed to keep up, “7 critical but awake, 9 injured.”

“We're gonna need more staff. Can we pull anyone to help clear the ER?”

“They're already on their way.”

“Stay, stay by me, grab my arm after each patient. Pull me back if I start losing focus.”

“You got it, boss.”

-

Michael rushed through the crowd, tapping away, shifting away when he almost got bottle necked by the traffic. So many years since he'd had to actively use sound as his only focus of navigation had left his head aching at so many heartbeats around him. He stopped at the building, hand reaching to the plaque he knew was there, 119, he under shot. He left to continue up to check the next building and smiled, he blinked behind his blackout glasses when the door opened for him.

“ _Come in, Michael, I'll be with you shortly.”_

Michael rolled his eyes, “Kinda regret letting you into my head, doc.”

He heard a chuckle, “Your eyes still bothering you?”

“Always, is that tea or coffee?”

“Tea, want some?”

“Please, it's been a long day.”

“This way,” Strange laughed as he lead the way into the kitchen. “I believe I might have a spell, it will- it may lessen what your vision was.”

“As long as I can see my patients I don't care. Shit, I'll take being able to distinguish a bruise from a birth mark at this point. Just, as long as I only see one patient on my gurney.”

“I would suggest binding the spell to an item, not your eyes themselves, so you are able to remove it when needed.”

“I- I don't really have anything. I mean, I've been using my blackout glasses to get around, so-”

“Stark sent these over when I mentioned attaching it to an object,” Michael's hand trembled when his eyes landed on his Ultrasonic bracelets, “He did some armor upgrading and- he said you'd know what they were for when you needed them.”

“Why do those terrify me?”

Strange offered a sad smile, “The memory, you were wearing this.”

Michael frowned at them, “Will the spell hinder the- the armor?”

“No, only your eyes will be effected, it will help ground you in the here and now.”

“Alright, as long as I can get back to work properly, this- it's hell on my nerves. Do you know fucked up it is to see yourself wondering around the hospital?”

Strange smiled, “I've been there a few times.”

“Yeah well last I checked I can't astral project, doc. And neither do I sneak off to the fucking blood store... And don't get my started on the office... Seriously the fucking secretary? How stereotypical can you get!”

Strange laughed, “Do I want to know?”

“I skipped lunch yesterday... I requested to stay on days.”

Strange was shaking his head as he left the table to get a book. “Well now, that's one way to find out 'what if' scenarios.”

Michael blinked as Strange's hands moved, taking his glasses off to watch the pattern and frown at the shadow images of damage, “Someone's world is getting ruined.”

“It- it happens...”

Michael watching the bracelets glow, an intricate pattern forming on them before fading, “So, those should,” Michael jerked back at the sudden fireball hurling at him, suddenly on alert.

“Breathe, it's not our world. Just breathe.”

Michael reached for the bracelets and snapped them onto his wrists, sighing at all the 'ghosts' and damage suddenly vanishing. “Thank you.”

“They will only help focus you when you're wearing them. Remember that when you're wearing them.”

“Right, thank you still.”

“Michael, you have to be careful with- it can do much more than just effect what you see.”

“Like allow me to keep a patient alive when they should have bleed to death or suffocated?”

Strange smirked, “Considering your history, you're one of the best.”

“I wonder if that was- if it could have effected that too.”

“It very well could have. Perhaps it was an upgrade of sorts or a warning...”

“Some warning, seeing- seeing so many things, things I can't- I can't do a damn thing about.”

“Perhaps, it's- it's telling you you're on the right path. You said somewhere was, somewhere was having a horrible time. Maybe it's showing you how bad it could be-”

“Alright, real talk... You know what all this means. What does this mean to us? Here and now?”

Strange sat back, “It means, we have at least two infinity stones on Earth. And you hold one of them. As long as we keep you alive, in this universe, then- ours can never become like theirs.”

“What are those anyway?”

“They are stones of power, each one has a specific strength. Together... they're pure destruction.”

“And you're telling me I have one of those inside me? Like it's nothing?”

“It's, relatively harmless as it is, it may not seem that way to you but it is in the large scale.”

Michael rubbed his eyes and blinked at the bottle set down in front of him, “You looked like you needed a drink.”

“So, as long as I don't die everything is fine?”

“Aside from having to wear those, it seems to be. After all, you're not an Avenger and you have shown no interest being a superhero, even if Tony is preparing, like he always does.”

Michael laughed as he opened the drink, “I guess I can tell work I'm off restrictions now. I just- have to keep these on.”

“Do yourself a favor, try not to accidentally activate them on the clock,” Strange smirked.

Michael laughed, “Jarvis?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Of course he put Jarvis into them.”

“Strange, you're aware he is Tony Stark right? Jarvis is everywhere.”

“I do try, sir. What were you needing?”

“Ensure these things can't trigger without a two part verification one physical and the other verbal.”

“Of course, sir.”

“Is Peter worried?” Michael grinned as he finished his drink.

“Always, sir, but he is working with the instillation crew on finishing the Penthouse windows.”

“So, it's safe to go home now?”

“The neighbors are still a bit miffed as to the Incident but otherwise I'd say it is safe to return to the Penthouse.”

“I'll have to catch you around, doc, worried husband, pissed neighbors and repairs almost complete, I should head back home and get some sleep.”

“Stay safe, Michael. Let me know how those work for you.”

 

 


End file.
